


The Moment of Change

by hwgc



Series: The Doctor's Chronicles [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen, Post Regeneration, Pre-Regeneration, Regeneration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-09-01 22:08:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16773871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hwgc/pseuds/hwgc
Summary: The Doctor has just regenerated. She now finds herself as a he. He is stranded in Victorian London after the TARDIS was very badly damaged during regeneration. He heads off into the streets of London where anything could happen...





	The Moment of Change

Fire erupted from the central console, the Tardis was crashing. This was by no means the first time this had happened, but for some reason the Doctor had never got used to it. She clung for dear life as the Tardis violently rocked and shook through the time vortex. It was as if the Doctor’s whole life flashed before her eyes; well not her whole life, that would take far too long. Yaz, Graham and Ryan, as clear as day right in front of her; but they couldn’t be, it was just a vile trick the Tardis always played before—

A warmth pooled in the Doctor’s stomach as a burst of regeneration energy exploded out of her. In an instant, she was no longer herself; she was a man again. _This is weird_ , she thought. He had just gotten used to being a woman. He did his initial checks, all limbs accounted for, he put his hands on his head, hair; that’s a good sign. Checks all done, he got back down to surviving. 

He ran over to the flaming console. He tries pushing buttons and pulling leavers but to no avail. He rushed over to the doors and opened them. He was somewhere at least. It looked like Earth, nothing new there then. However, something did look new; he did not appear to be in the present day, he appeared to be in the past; perhaps Victorian London, that’s fun. He’s been thinking that he needs to pay Vastra a visit. He goes back to the console and checks the monitor; he is on a collision course with… The tower of London. Fantastic. Lucky unit are not around, that would have been a mess. A collision with the Tower of London probably wouldn’t be a great idea though. He tried his best to avoid the Tower and he did, what he didn’t manage to miss however was the River Thames. 

He landed with a splash in the river, lucky it’s waterproof. The flames died down but still fluttered. The Doctor decided to leave it and deal with it later. He opened the door to check the damage and found that he could not see. The river was completely opaque. He ran back over to the now cracked console. It read: London, July 1858. Well that’s just marvellous; the great stink. The Doctor was not particularly chuffed with this development. 

“Of all the places in time and space, this is where you bring me?”

The Tardis did not reply. He smacked the console in anger. The Tardis made a deep, sorrowful hum.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I know, you’re not feeling the best. I’m sorry I got angry.”

The Tardis hums again, less sorrowful. “How about we get you back in fighting condition?” The Tardis hummed happily. 

The Doctor decided that the first thing he needed to do was put out those fires. He went over to the wall and opened a hidden compartment which had a fire extinguisher in. “Bit ‘old-timey’ but there you go.” He unleashed the CO 2 on the fires, they stopped. He started to clear up the debris that had fallen. He dragged wires, life rubble and swept the floor. Once he had done all he could he looked back over the console. 

“This is not looking good, how are you feeling?”

The Tardis hummed in a way that suggested she was starting to feel better. “Do you think you’re well enough to travel a tiny distance, just to get me out of the river.?” The Tardis hummed in a crescendo, she was going to try. 

She begun her typical wheezing, although it was significantly more sickly sounding. The Tardis vibrated lightly, every once in a while dramatically shaking for a second. The noise came to a stop. The Doctor walked over to the doors. He opened them slightly, he was on the bank of the river.

“You are FANTASTIC!” he shouted, going over and kissing the console, “that was quite retro though”, he said in reference to his use of the word ‘fantastic’. “Are you sure you’ll be okay? I won’t be long, I’m just going to see Vastra and Jenny.” The Tardis hummed happily, she was regaining her heart. The Doctor patted the Tardis as he entered into the bustling, but currently filthy, streets of London. 

The Doctor walked jovially down the street, he got the occasional odd look but nothing out of the ordinary. He suddenly remembered that he was wearing the same outfit that he wore as a woman, that probably won’t go down that well with his current audience, he didn’t mind it though; he always liked this outfit. He saw a nearby taylor shop called ‘H.M.Woodstock’s Taylor Shop’ and headed inside.

The shop was dark but felt luxurious. Candle lit with dark wooden walls and green leather sofas, sit reminded the Doctor of his stint as a member of parliament. A very well to do young man, no older than 21, appeared at the desk.

“Good morning sir, how can I help you?” The young man looked down at the Doctor’s current attire and gasped.

“I would like a suit.”

“Well yes sir, this is a taylor’s shop. What kind of suit would you like?”

“Can I see your fabrics?”

The young man smiled a hearty smile. “Of course sir, follow me.”

The Doctor followed who he presumed to be H.M.Woodstock. He thought be better just check that. “Excuse me, are you H.M.Woodstock?”

“Yes sir, as was my father, and his father before him. Henry Malory Woodstock, my father was Harvey Matthew Woodstock and his father was Hamish Maximilian Woodstock.”

“Ah, a family establishment, I love family shops.” Robert simply smiled and continued towards the fabric room. The Doctor felt like he had heard that name somewhere before but decided to brush it off.

Henry held the door open for him as he entered a small dark room with a single button on the wall. “What’s this?” asked the Doctor, slightly nervous as to where he was being taken. 

“Just see,” said Henry, slightly too suspiciously for the Doctor’s taste. Henry pressed the button on the wall and the room began to move.

“You have a lift?” Henry nodded, “to get to your fabric room?” Henry looked at the Doctor and smiled. 

The lift came to a halt, “this is it,” whispered Henry. The Doctor felt very uncomfortable now. He reluctantly followed Henry as he walked down what appeared to be a sort of mine shaft, a corridor with walls of ragged stone. Once they reached the end of the corridor they were faced with alarge metal door. “I have something to show you Doctor. The Doctor was now VERY confused. He had no idea who this young Scottish taylor was but apparently he was known by him.

Henry pulled a small gold key out of his inside blazer pocket. He placed it in the very small keyhole and twisted it. A variety of clicks and bangs sounded from behind the door. When they ended Robert gently pushed the door open. The door was vast, more like a vault door than anything else; it was at least a meter think, which the doctor presumed contained the locking mechanism. However, what was behind the door was far more interesting than the door itself. 

A large cave, filled with rows and rows of shelves containing masses of alien technology. The Doctor was astounded. “How on Earth did you get all this stuff?”

“Found it,” exclaimed Henry, far too nonchalantly for the Doctor’s taste. The Doctor walked around the cave, looking at the vast array of items on display. There were bits he was familiar with; a Dalek eye stalk, a Sycoraxian helmet, but there were also bits that he was not familiar with; a tentacle encased in a metal box, a large chrome gun, the fossilised head of a creature that looked like a snake with a lion’s mane. 

The Doctor continued to walk down the isle of shelves until he reached a large opening in the middle of the room, a circle created by shelves stop and then start again on the other side. In the middle was something that the Doctor absolutely did not expect to see and he was absolutely terrified. In the middle of the circle was a box. A single box on a pedestal. A single ornate box, made of wood and metal, he remembered. The Moment…

“How the HELL did you get that?!” roared the Doctor, suddenly significantly more angry then before. The look of smugness that was previously painted on Henry’s face vanished immediately, he was nervous. 

“I- I just found it,” quivered Henry. The Doctor was fuming.

“Do not lie to me Henry! Tell me where you got this thing!” The Doctor was so close to Henry that it would take almost no effort to reach out and slam him against the wall. Henry begins to shake, he looks like he is having a seizure. The Doctor reaches into his pocket to retrieve his sonic but it is gone, typical. He puts his fingers on Henry’s pulse but instead of beating, it was whirring, like a machine.

Suddenly, his shaking stops. He straightens up, like a robot. “Henry? What’s happening?”

“Henry. Henry Woodstock.” 

“Yes, you are Henry Woodstock.” 

“Henry Woodstock, DELETE!”


End file.
